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Luna 25, the first lunarlander launched by Russia in 47 years, has been successfully launched.
Luna 25 took off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia with a Soyuz-2 Fregat rocket at 8:10 p.m. local time on Friday or 7:10. glocal time Thursday.
Reuters reported that on Friday morning, residents in a Russian village were evacuated for ‘temporary evacuation’ due to the possibility of one of Luna 25’s rocket stages falling.
It is anticipated that the spacecraft would first orbit Earth, then move to lunar orbit, and eventually touch down on the moon. On August 18, 1976, Luna 24, Russia’s final lunar lander, made a historic landing.
According to Reuters, there is a competition between Luna 25 and Chandrayaan-3 missions that are set to land at the lunar south pole on August 23. However, Roscomos stated that the two missions won’t cause any problems for each other because of their unique landing locations.
Luna 25’s journey.
For a year, Luna 25 or Luna-Glob-Lander will examine the composition of the moon’s polar soil, plasma, and dust within its thin lunar exosphere, also known as the planet’s scant atmosphere.
NASA has stated that the four-legged lander is equipped with landing rockets, propellant tanks, solar panels, computers, and a robotic arm to collect samples from the moon and study the exosphere and other lunar features.
The initial plan was for Roscosmos to collaborate with the European Space Agency on Luna 25, along with Luna 26, Luna 27, and the ExoMars rover.
The partnership ended in April 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the ESA Council decided to discontinue co-operation with Russia.
What lies ahead for the exploration of the moon?
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, along with its rover and propulsion module, was launched on July 14 and successfully entered lunar orbit last weekend.
Following the successful landing of Chandrayaan-2 in September 2019, India will embark on its second attempt to reach the moon’s south pole, making it the fourth country to do so.
The Artemis III mission is set to land a woman and ‘person of color’ on the moon in late 2025, NASA said.
The potential resources on the moon, including ice that could be used for drinking water, oxygen, and fuel, have been the focus of many missions designed to explore this area.
During a news conference on Tuesday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that several spacecraft from other countries will be arriving at the south pole in the near future. He also mentioned the potential of water and the renewed interest in exploring the moon and returning to Earth so we can learn how to survive in confined spaces.
Nelson conveyed his best wishes to the launch team of Luna 25 and highlighted that NASA has had a friendly relationship with its Russian counterpart since the Soviet era.